Greenservations 7: Radfahren

I think I may have mentioned earlier that I bike to work everyday.  Well... practically everyday.  Sometimes I'm just too darn lazy.  Or sometimes it's raining so hard that I am literally soaked through to my underwear if I don't cower under an umbrella.  Oh, Wuppertal.  Back to the Greenservation at hand: Radfahren.  The sustainable observations about cycling versus driving are plentiful and apparent.  Since I've been rather scatterbrained lately, I searched for a list of 'the benefits of biking' online so I could organize my thoughts.  Here are a few of my favorites from the list:

1. On-going use of a bicycle has virtually NO carbon footprint.
2. Bicycling can be faster than walking, transit or motor vehicles.
3. Save travel money by biking. If the switch is from a car this includes purchase price, gas, tires, fluids, insurance, maintenance, washing, parking, etc.
4. Regular bicycling helps with personal weight management - new full-time bicycle commuters can expect to lose an average 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting if they maintain the same eating habits.
5. Bicyclists can ignore the highway traffic jam reports.
6. Reduces road kill and saves animals.
7. Biking is fun.

You should really check out the whole list for more great and environmentally friendly reasons to bike instead of drive!  Now, I'm going to continue to overwhelm you with statistics and reasons why you should get off your lazy bum (I'm lookin at you Mom and Dad) and get pedaling! According to a study from  Environmental Health Perspectives, if 30 million urban and suburban midwesterners replaced JUST HALF of their short car trips with cycling during JUST THE WARMEST six months of the year, they "could save approximately four trillion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 1,100 lives and $7 billion in mortality and health care costs for the region every year."  Boom.  Sustainable, healthy, and fiscally responsible.  What more could you want?  Oh, an awesome infographic about the benefits of biking? Here you go: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/bike-to-work-infographic-benefits-health_n_1145815.html

I really hope that the USA adopts a more bike-friendly mentality in the immediate future.  I've observed and experienced firsthand all the benefits of biking to work, and I have been lucky to do so since I live in such a bike-friendly country.  Everywhere I go I see racks of bikes on bikes on bikes!  Just look at what I get to be a part of! (Below left: Amsterdam, below right: Munich, bottom: Heidelberg)

I plan on seeing even more sweet bike action in a few weekends when Michelle and I head to Copenhagen, the city of bikerly love!  I hope this post has inspired you to green up your life by embracing the wonder that is biking.  If it hasn't inspired you to do that, maybe I've inspired you to work on your hyperlinking skills.  Bis später!

Heidelberg

Es tut mir leid for the lack of posts on here lately.  I promise I have been doing exciting things I just have been too preoccupied to blog about them.  I'm realizing that my time here is quickly winding down - I can't believe that I only have a little over a month here in Germany!  I've been continuing to try and take advantage of travelling as much as possible.

This past weekend I met up with Ian in lovely little Heidelberg, Germany.  I confess, I have this horrible habit of falling asleep within 7 minutes of a train ride.  Most of the time, it's not a horrible habit, but more of a useful skill.  However when your train ride is a 3 hour jaunt along the Rhine river passing picturesque cities and medieval castles you kinda want to stay awake for it!  Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap any good pictures from my train, but tust me, it was breathtaking.

The breathtaking views continued on throughout the whole weekend in Heidelberg.  The most marvelous part of Heidelberg is of course the ruins of the old castle.  The earliest castle structures were built around 1214 AD.  1214 AD I say!  The age of some things in Europe still blows my mind.  Some of the castle was destroyed, some still stands, but all of it is beautiful.  Not only is the red stone castle a gorgeous sight, but the views over the quaint city nestled in the river valley are best from the castle grounds.

It was windy up there!

Castle ruins

View over Heidelberg and the Neckar river

Part of the castle chunked off...

I mean seriously Germany, stop being so freaking beautiful.

Heidelberg is also famous for it's old university, Universität Heidelberg.  Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany.  I'm telling you, the age of some of the stuff over here!  It's incredible!  My favorite part of the old university was the Studentenkarzer or "student prison".  It's basically a place for the establishment to lock up unruly students for their bad behavior, i.e. getting really drunk and setting some hogs loose.  I think Wikipedia describes it best: "While Karzer arrest originally would have been a severe punishment, the respect for these punishment diminished with time, particularly in the 19th century, as it came a matter of honour to have been incarcerated at least once during one's time at university. At the end of 19th century, as the students in the cell became responsible for their own food and drink and receiving of visitors became permitted, the "punishment" would often turn into a social occasion with excessive consumption of alcohol." Oh Germany, you are awesome.

Enter if you dare...

Apparently silhouettes were the thing to do?

A typical confinement room. 

I fear the day that Cincinnati embraces it's German heritage and institutes a Karzer... 

So awesome.

Hello beautiful.

This weekend I'm headed to Hamburg to meet up with Michelle! More German adventures to come!

Schroeder Eurotrip Part 2

Bonjour! I’m currently on my way back to Wuppertal from glamorous Paris, France!  After a three hour train ride, I met up with my parents and Trevor at Paris Nord on Thursday June 28^th.  My family had spent the past couple of days in Heidelberg with my Uncle Dave who happened to be there on business.  From there, they rented a car and drove to Paris  through and I quote “the most insane traffic my dad has ever experienced in his life”.  We met up at Paris Nord and from there headed up to Sacre Cour church in Montmartre and were treated to a spectacular view of Paris!  My dad had racked up some Marriott points, so we stayed in a nice hotel slightly outside the city. 

Sacre Cour, where the cool kids hang out

My first glimpse of the Eifel Tower!

Friday morning we woke up early and headed outside the city to the palace of Versailles.  We got there early enough that we beat most of the crowds, but the palace was still pretty packed.  I had no idea how truly huge and grandiose Versailles actually is.  Every aspect of the palace is larger than life; the windows, the furniture, the wallpaper, the chandeliers, everything was gilded and beautiful!  Everything was awesome and I had no idea that the bedrooms of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were right on the other side of the Hall of Mirrors!  After we were through the palace, we headed out to the sweeping grounds where we rented a golf cart and drove around.  That was a hilarious experience – driving around these well-pruned grounds honking our little horn and yelling “bonjour!” to other golf carters.    

Excited about Versailles!

Versailles Chapel

Hall of Mirrors!

Where Marie Antoinette slept! Luxury!

Our trusty golf cart!

Joyous in the gardens!

Palace posin'

We headed back to the hotel for a little mid afternoon nap and then picked up Ian at the train station.  After we finally found the train station, the five of us headed to my most favorite restaurant in the entire world – Chipotle!  Chipotle just opened a store in Paris couple of weeks ago!  It’s their first store in France and only their third in all of Europe (the two others are in London!).   It was so fantastic getting to eat a delicious barbacoa burrito!  After dinner we wandered through the beautiful Parisian streets to the Opera house and past the Ritz.  We ended the night walking around the Seine.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I WAS.

Chillin' along the Seine, looking at the Eifel Tower.

 Saturday we woke up and headed to Place St. Michael to meet up with another free walking tour.  On the 3.5 hour tour we saw everything; Notre Dame de Paris, The Latin Quarter, Ile-de-la-Cité, Pont Neuf, The Louvre, Palais Royal, Haussmann’s Renovations, Eiffel Tower, Tuileries Gardens, Les Invalides, Académie Française, Opéra Garnier, Musée d’Orsay, Pont Alexandre III, Napoléon’s Tomb, Assemblé Nationale, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Grand & Petit Palais, & Place de la Concorde.

Where's the Hunchback?

France stole this from Egypt!

Napoleon's remains are in there!

The building of Napoleon's tomb

After the tour, Ian and I grabbed some food and laid under the Eifel tour for a while before heading back to the hotel.  We quickly changed and then we were off to the Stade de France to see my most favorite band ever the Red Hot Chili Peppers!  After their new album “I’m With You” came out, they went on a huge international tour.  However, they were in Germany before I was in Germany and they were in Ohio after I left Ohio.  About 5 months ago Ian and I bought concert tickets to see the Chili Peppers in Paris, France.  It was because of this concert that our whole trip to Paris came to be! The concert was absolutely awesome – my one complaint was that the stage was pretty low and since we were in the standing section I couldn’t see that much.  They played an excellent mix of new and old stuff.  Another odd thing was that Ian and I seemed to be the only people singing along to most songs!  The Chili Peps are hard enough to understand for a native English speaker, so maybe the French have a really hard time understanding the lyrics.  After a jam packed subway ride back to the hotel, we passed out because of a long day of walking and standing. 

The Eifel Tower! Oui oui!

Before the Chili Peps!

Sunday we all woke up and took advantage of our hotel’s awesome breakfast buffet one last time.  Then, my parents had to head to the airport to catch their flight back to the states.  It was sad to say goodbye but I will see them back home soon enough.  After the goodbye, Ian and I headed to the Arc de Triumph.  There we paid 6 Euro to climb 238 stairs and get arguably the best view of Paris.  From there, we strolled down the Champs d’Elysées to the Louvre.  Sunday also happened to be the first Sunday of the month, so the Louvre was free to enter!  Our tour guide from the day before told us about a “secret entrance” into the Louvre and HOLY COW did it save us a TON of time.  Seeing as the museum was free, it was absolutely packed and the main entrance (the glass pyramid) had a line worthy of Cedar Point.  (If you’re standing at the mini Brandenburg gate looking at the glass pyramid, the “secret entrance”  is through and arch on your right by long greyish navy banners.)  We had literally zero wait, and since the entrance was free, Ian and I didn’t feel bad about bee-lining it to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Sphynx.  After the Louvre, we headed to Chipotle for a second time (had to get my fill!) before finally saying goodbye to the beautiful city of love.  

Taking pictures in the middle of the street by the most dangerous roundabout ever.

:)

I'll miss you Paris!

Schroeder Eurotrip Part 1

As I excitedly stated in my last blog post… my parents and Trev are here visiting me in Germany!  The arrived to Düsseldorf on Saturday the 16^th and ever since then we’ve been adventuring around Germany and beyond! Monday through Thursday the three of them stayed with my roomies and I in Wuppertal, and while I was at work they trotted around North Rhine Westphalia visiting Köln, Düsseldorf, Bonn and everywhere in between.  I was able to join them for some adventures (mostly revolving around eating) after I got off work, and I was lucky enough to take the day off on Friday so we could all travel to Munich together Thursday evening.  My dad rented a car, an Audi A6 of course, and we drove on the autobahn down to Munich. 

Friday morning we woke up early with an ambitious schedule ahead of us.  We jumped into our lovely rental car and headed south, to Austria, where we found the Zugspitze!  The Zugspitze is an awesome huge gondola that takes you to the top of one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The peak also happens to be right on the border between Germany and Austria, so I was technically in two countries while I was on top of this ridiculous mountain.  The views were truly marvelous, and I even got to eat “Germany’s highest Bratwurst”.  After we spent some time on the mountaintop, we headed back down and started our drive to Neuschwanstein castle.  It was only a short trip from the Zugspitze to the castle, so before no time we joined the other hoards of tourists and headed up to the castle.  It was awesome to see the fairy tale castle in real life, and it’s no wonder King Ludwig would want to build his castle there – the landscape is incredible!

Oh hey Alps! 

On my way up the Zugspitze!

Reppin' my bearcats on a mountain top, the usual.

In the clouds!

Oh hey Neuschwanstein!

Just missing one!

 After an incredibly filled morning and afternoon we headed back to Munich to catch a public viewing at the Olympic Stadium of the Germany vs Greece Eurocup game.  As if we hadn’t done enough that day, we decided to rally and get rowdy with the Germans.  The atmosphere of the Olympic stadium was awesome, and Germany gave Greece a proper spanking so everyone left in a good mood.

German fanatics!

Saturday we woke up a little later and decided to take the day to roam around the city and sample the local food and beverages.  We visited biergartens big and small and enjoyed food and drink.  We started the day at Augusteiner brauhaus where I enjoyed some dunkel beer and German spatzel.  We wandered around the shopping district and saw the Glockenspiel.  After some more walking around, we headed to the Hofbrauhaus München where Ian met back up with us to watch the Spain vs France game.  Spain ended up winning which is unfortunate because they will be a worthy opponent of Germany, in the event Germany makes it to the final. 

Sunday we took advantage of the Bayern group ticket and all five of us headed across the border to Salzburg.  We visited the glamorous palace/state rooms of the regent princes and toured the fortress of a castle.  We got to see the room where Mozart first preformed and walk around inside the walls of one of the most fortified castles in Europe.  I wish that we had more time to spend in this beautiful city, but alas, I had to head all the way back to Wuppertal that evening for work the following week.  My family is going to keep adventuring around Switzerland and Germany until we meet in Paris June 28^th!  Schroeder Eurotrip is going strong!

The Salzburg castle!

View from the top! Beautiful!